On Wednesday Massachusetts will become the first U.S. state to ban the “debarking” surgery that devocalizes dogs and cats. Under the new law, anyone in the state who cuts or removes an animal’s vocal chords for nonmedical reasons may be punished by fines and up to five years in prison. The silencing surgery may suit the needs of the owner, but not the health and welfare of the animal.  Supporters of the new measure say it is more important for pet owners to understand the needs and motivations behind their pets’ making noise. For complete story click HERE.

A 60-year-old Swedish woman was living in a Stockholm suburb with her mother, her sister, her son… and 191 cats!  Stockholm’s social services said the home was in an appalling condition with cats everywhere and overflowing litter boxes. Many of the animals were sick or injured-  173 had to be put down at the house and the remaining 18 cats were entrusted to animal shelters. Under Swedish law a family can have a maximum of nine cats. For complete story click HERE.

It was not long ago that ‘animal right’s was all but an oxymoron. With few exceptions, you could do what you wanted to an animal and it seemed bizarre to argue otherwise.  In the U.S., animal rights have moved further into the mainstream.  Animal-law courses are now taught at many of the nation’s leading law schools.  Enthusiasm for animal rights is fueling a national movement to rein in the chaining of dogs.  And the latest local example is that, starting in 2015, every egg sold in California will have to comply with strict hen-rights rules.  For complete story click HERE.

Cesar Millan and The Millan Foundation launched a new public service campaign on July 9, 2010, aimed at raising awareness in the Spanish-speaking community of the importance of spaying and neutering pets and its direct impact on canine overpopulation. It features television, radio, and print ads, and a community relations effort by Cesar himself which will seek to bring his spay and neuter message to Spanish-speaking dog owners. The campaign is focused on raising awareness of the consequences of pet overpopulation, which includes leaving over 4.5 million dogs and cats to die in local animal shelters each year due to a lack of space. For complete story click HERE.

On August 13, 2009 a Pierre, South Dakota policeman had stopped Patricia Edwards as she was backing out of a parking spot. Edwards was living out of the car with fifteen cats and all of her personal belongings. The officer at the scene ordered the pets impounded and the court later denied Edwards’ request to take the cats home on the grounds that she presented no plan to pay for the costs of their care. Edwards appealed this ruling but the court insisted that driving with a large number of cats in one’s automobile presents an imminent public threat.  In fact, there were so many cats in the car, Edwards failed to see the patrol car behind her and nearly backed into it!  Edwards’ attorney argued that the state provides no authority for the notion that animals traveling in a vehicle must be confined to kennels. For complete story click HERE.

The Uganda National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) has introduced Animal Welfare Education in the national curriculum for schools.  The subjects will be taught in primary, secondary schools and tertiary institutions.  Aimed at giving children more knowledge about the protection of all animals and the environment, the new program will guide people on how to live in harmony with both domestic and wild animals in the same environment.  Connie Kateeba, the director of NCDC, says that people who go through the education system will be equipped with more knowledge and skills to love and take care of animals in a healthier environment. For complete story click HERE.

A small Arizona restaurant found itself at the center of a nationwide backlash after it announced plans to offer lion burgers this week as part of a World Cup promotion. Czimer’s Game & Sea Foods, the Illinois based mom-and-pop butcher that processed and distributed the alleged lion meat, said the meat is the byproduct of a skinning operation owned by another man.  Czimer said: “This man buys and sells animals for the skin, and when I need something and he has ability to get it, I will bargain for the meat. It’s a byproduct.”  Is it legal to eat lions? Yes, according to the FDA, the African lion isn’t currently a federally protected endangered species and it qualifies as a game meat. For complete story click HERE.

Staggering through downtown Palm Beach traffic last week was an emaciated 30 pound male pit bull dragging a 20-pound chain, which was wrapped around his neck.  The dog was barely able to lift his head or walk, but witnesses said the female pit bull was leading the chained male, stopping to urge him along. Two men stopped and picked up the dogs, bringing them to Animal Care and Control.  Clearly the dogs care for each other but clearly their human owner didn’t care much about them.  Hopefully this bonded pair gets adopted or rescued from the shelter so that they don’t become another euthanasia statistic. For complete story click HERE.

Christopher Bishop was checking under his Ford F-150 for oil leaks Sunday evening. He had put the running truck into neutral and left the driver’s door open.  While he was under the truck, Bishop’s bulldog jumped into the truck and knocked the vehicle into gear. After being run over by his own truck, with his dog in the driver’s seat, Bishop was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening! For complete story click HERE.

In the five months that Kern County CA Animal Control’s two-person Public Education and Enforcement Team has been walking door-to-door issuing notices for dog owners to license their pets, it has brought in more than $104,000 in revenue.  The cost of the program — including salaries, benefits, fuel and the purchase of a used animal control truck — was just more than $66,000.  Profit: roughly $38,000.  The purpose of the program was not only to increase the licensing rate but help the county reunite more stray animals with their owners and further decreasing euthanasia rates.  “If we continue to make the revenue we’re making, I’m really, really confident that we can pay for the cost (of the program) and generate more money for low-cost spay and neuter” programs, said Animal Control Director Guy Shaw.  For complete story click HERE.